Before we dive into how to turn you talents into strengths, let’s first define what talents are and how it correlates to strengths. Let’s start by this quote from Tom Rath, author of many New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers like, “How Full Is Your Bucket?” and “StregnthsFinder 2.0.”
“You cannot be anything you want to be — but you can be a whole lot more of who you already are.” - Tom Rath
Simply put, talent is a person’s natural ability and affinity towards a specific task. Naturally born singers with that talent to sing are already equipped to do well in that activity. They may not be able to reach certain notes yet, but they already have the native ability to carry a tune and learn a melody. Folks who are not equally talented in singing—okay, to be blunt, who are tone deaf, will not go as a far as those who are already born to sing, regardless of how much vocal training they undergo.
Having talents alone will not take you far. The only way you can reap your talent’s full potential is by turning it into strengths. Talents turn to strengths when you sharpen it with knowledge and practice. Raw talents without learning the crafts and putting in the time to practice is useless.
Talents x (Knowledge + Practice) = Strengths
Effective leaders in any organization know how to convert their raw talents into strengths. Most of the leaders I know have had the opportunity to move around the company, leading different teams and different functions. They do well in any environment because they’re relentless is learning the craft of the new role and they quickly put into practice what they’ve learned from the start. They don’t shy away from “putting in the reps” of practicing what they’ve learned as many times as possible. Creating value every step of the way, thus, creating personal strengths.
Notice that the “strengths equation” does not simply stack talents, knowledge, and practice. In my opinion, the notion of just adding these elements does not support a sustained growth potential for strength. Talents is a great tool we can use as a multiplier for our personal strength. It allows us to start stacking “personal specs” that build-up our collective strength as an individual. I define “personal specs” as different attributes or traits that one person has developed and has become proficient in. It’s like shopping for a laptop. You look at the machine’s specs to see if it has the right memory, video capability, and storage to meet your specific needs for the laptop.
I’d like to end this post with an analogy explaining how the talents-to-strengths equation. It’s perfect timing to use this analogy because just recently celebrated its 20th anniversary of being released a couple of months ago. Also, it’s one of my world’s greatest movie franchises of all time!
